When we do MIDI backing tracks for live shows, they can go through many incarnations as time progresses from first sketch to first performance. I thought I’d just give a brief example of how I receive the music, and even though this example isn’t finished (we’re still waiting on final arrangements before doing any more work on them), how they might end up.

I receive an audio file taken from a Korg keyboard, and also a MIDI file of the same. I can tempo lock these in my sequencer. In this case, I got the tracks the same day as we were recording a temp lead vocal guide, so this was also the track our vocalist sung to.

01 – the first draft

There was just a little time before we were recording a small choir for backing vocals, and they worked from this one… a little more developed but still pretty rough.
02 – the second draft

Still very much unfinished, but with more finesse in the arrangement/sequence, this is a lot closer to how I expect the final product to be delivered.
03 – the third draft